Sir Keir Starmer's government has been criticised after figures showed the proportion of sickness benefit claimants assessed face-to-face has roughly halved since Labour took office, coinciding with a rise in the number of people receiving incapacity-related payments. Critics argue that reduced in-person scrutiny of claims has made it easier for people to qualify for sickness benefits without proper checks, fuelling concerns about the sustainability and integrity of the welfare system at a time of already-strained public finances.

The trend has fed into wider political attacks on the Prime Minister's handling of welfare policy, with opponents pointing to the growing benefits bill as evidence that oversight has weakened under Labour. The shift towards remote or paper-based assessments, rather than face-to-face meetings with assessors, is central to the criticism, as it is seen as a key factor behind the increase in successful claims.